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CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
8004 GENERAL PAPER
8004/11
Paper 1, maximum raw mark 100
This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of
the examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not
indicate the details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began,
which would have considered the acceptability of alternative answers.
Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner
Report for Teachers.
Cambridge will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.
Cambridge is publishing the mark schemes for the October/November 2013 series for most IGCSE,
GCE Advanced Level and Advanced Subsidiary Level components and some Ordinary Level
components.
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MARK SCHEME for the October/November 2013 series
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GCE Advanced Subsidiary Level
Page 2
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
USE OF ENGLISH CRITERIA TABLE
Marks
Band 1
‘excellent’: fully
operational
command
18–20
Band 2
‘good – very good’:
effective command
14–17
Band 3
‘average’:
reasonable
command
10–13
Band 4
‘flawed but not
weak’: inconsistent
command
6–9
Band 5
‘weak – very weak’:
little/(no) effective
communication
0–5
•
•
•
•
•
•
very few slips/errors
highly fluent
very effective use of expressions and idioms
excellent use of vocabulary; (near) faultless grammar
excellent sentence structure and organisation of paragraphs
excellent spelling/punctuation.
•
•
•
•
•
•
few slips/errors
fluent
effective use of expressions/idioms
good use of vocabulary; sound grammar
good sentence structure/well-organised paragraphs
good spelling/punctuation.
•
•
•
•
•
•
some slips/basic errors but acceptable standard overall
reasonably fluent/not difficult to read
generally appropriate use of expressions/idioms
fair range and apt use of basic vocabulary; acceptable grammar
simple/unambitious sentence structure/paragraphing
reasonable spelling/punctuation.
•
•
•
•
•
•
regular and frequent slips/errors
hesitant fluency/not easy to follow at times
some inappropriate expressions/idioms
limited range of vocabulary; faulty grammar
some flawed sentence structure/paragraphing
regular spelling/punctuation errors.
•
•
•
•
•
•
almost every line contains (many) slips/errors of all kinds
little/(no) fluency/difficult (almost impossible) to follow
(very) poor use of expression/idiom
(very) poor range of vocabulary: (very) poor grammar
(very) poor sentence structure/paragraphing
(very) poor spelling/punctuation.
bracketed descriptors denote 0–2 range of marks.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013
Page 3
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
CONTENT CRITERIA TABLE
•
Band 1
‘excellent’:
26–30
•
very good and
comprehensive
knowledge/
understanding of
topic
•
Band 2
•
‘good – very good’:
•
20–25
good knowledge/
understanding of
topic
Band 3 UPPER
‘average’:
16–19
sound knowledge/
understanding of
topic
Band 3 LOWER
fair knowledge/
understanding of
topic
13–15
•
•
•
•
totally (near totally) relevant, well focused but less analytical
and perceptive than Band 1
major points well developed
(very) good range of examples/illustration
logical and systematic discussion
effectively structured.
•
•
•
•
competent: major points adequately developed
largely relevant and remains focused on the question
reasonable range of examples/illustration to support key points
reasonably structured.
•
more obvious points mentioned rather than adequately
developed
some digression, but generally sticks to the question
does not always support major points with apt illustration
tendency to assert/generalise rather than argue/discuss in
detail
may lack focus.
•
•
•
•
Band 4
‘flawed but not
weak: limited
knowledge/
understanding of
topic’
7–12
‘weak – very weak’:
poor/very poor
knowledge/
understanding of
topic
•
•
•
•
•
•
Band 5
0–6
comprehensive coverage, totally relevant material, perceptive,
analytical
thoughtful, enlightening illustration using local, national and
international examples where applicable
coherent and engaging discussion, displaying sensitivity,
sophistication, awareness and maturity
(very) well structured.
•
•
•
restricted material/scope: rather pedestrian
some relevance but may be implicit/tangential at times
prone to unsubstantiated, sweeping statements: ideas vague
and/or lacking sustained development: can be digressive and
wander off topic
limited illustration and/or factual inaccuracy
insufficient focus; essay offloads everything known about the
particular topic with inadequate reference to the key words in
the question.
(totally) inadequate content with little/no substance: (very)
vague and confused ideas
question largely (completely) misinterpreted/misunderstood
very limited (total) irrelevance
very limited/(no) appropriate illustration.
bracketed descriptors denote 0–2 range.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013
Page 4
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
Section 1
1
What is currently the most important political challenge being faced by your country and
to what extent is it being tackled?
•
•
•
2
To what extent is it easier to run a revolution than a government?
•
•
•
•
3
a number of receiving countries benefit little, or not at all, from development aid
the aid can ‘disappear’ into the pockets of corrupt politicians/parties
how development aid can stifle initiative and hinder independent progress
what donor countries can do to ensure that receiving countries do really benefit from the aid
given.
How far is poverty still a problem in your country?
•
•
•
•
5
governments in democratic countries are subject to limitation by tradition, constitutional
restraints, elections and a variety of rules and regulations
a free press, freedom of speech and a number of ‘watchdogs’ guard against contravention of
the rules and corruption
a revolution has ‘a life of its own’ and is not subject to any of the above mentioned restraints
and limitations even if extensive damage, illegal acts and countless deaths are widespread
examples/illustration e.g. Libya and Syria.
How far do receiving countries really benefit from development aid?
•
•
•
•
4
main focus must be on ‘political challenge’ and ‘your country’
progress made in addressing the ‘challenge’ should be clearly illustrated
comparisons with how other countries have fared with a similar problem could be useful.
main focus on ‘your’ country but illustrative comparisons may be enlightening/interesting
what is the cause of the poverty and the extent to which it is deep-rooted
measures taken already to solve the problem with an indication of any successes
what still needs to be done to alleviate any remaining poverty.
‘If you are convicted of a crime, you should lose your rights as a citizen.’ Consider this
view.
•
•
•
•
•
•
a question relating to basic human rights
any convicted criminal is already punished by fines/imprisonment
any basis in any legislation anywhere to promote this view?
if enforceable, should the gravity of the crime be a decisive factor?
if enforceable, should all or selected rights be forfeited?
the extent to which any such action would be a dangerous precedent.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013
Page 5
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
Section 2
6
To what extent is ‘green’ technology affordable?
•
•
•
•
7
What are the ‘delights’ of studying mathematics?
•
•
•
•
•
•
8
a universally understood and applied language
it is instrumental in helping to solve problems from basic to sophisticated and complex levels
it develops life skills such as reasoning
it pervades every aspect of life and living
it is an integral constituent of all the sciences
a prerequisite for success in many professions.
How far would you consider the huge cost of a census to be justified by the information
gained?
•
•
•
•
9
start-up and running costs of ‘green’ technology are often high e.g. the cost of producing
electricity by wind farms is, despite government subsidies, more than twice as much as
production by conventional power stations
this means that even richer countries can scarcely afford it and major industrial companies
are threatening to relocate as they are increasingly unable to compete with foreign
businesses that enjoy lower energy costs
developing countries will not be able to afford ‘green’ technology and will go for the cheapest,
most efficient, alternative
as environmentally attractive as ‘green’ technology may be, economic considerations will
always take precedence in a highly competitive world.
a census is a very expensive process but it does provide valuable information
it satisfies the need to plan for the future in an increasingly complex society and provides
valuable and reliable data for historical and ancestral research
apart from a detailed count of the population, it indicates demands for such things as
housing, schools, hospitals, transport and a vast range of other social and economic
requirements
only worthwhile if good planning leads to successful and efficient implementation.
‘The war against drug trafficking is a worldwide failure.’ Discuss.
•
•
•
•
some drug growing areas have been ‘cleansed’ e.g. in South America and Afghanistan, but
were soon replaced elsewhere
the availability of drugs is still a major issue in most developed countries
gang warfare of the drug barons in such countries as Mexico and Colombia is still a problem
the police and government policies have to date not been able to achieve a significant
reduction in drug use and drug addiction.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013
Page 6
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
10 ‘We are lucky to live in an age in which we are still making scientific discoveries.’ Discuss.
•
•
•
•
‘lucky’ because scientific progress can make life easier in various ways as well as prolonging
it
these discoveries make vital contributions to the pool of human knowledge
as we learn more, we are able to use these discoveries to improve the lot of people
worldwide in many vital areas
slowly but surely, these discoveries give new insight into many unsolved mysteries of the
universe.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013
Page 7
Mark Scheme
GCE AS LEVEL – October/November 2013
Syllabus
8004
Paper
11
Section 3
11 ‘Journalists often intrude too far into private lives.’ Discuss.
•
•
•
•
•
•
line between interest/intrusion blurred in democratic countries
intrusion in authoritarian states usually secret police, not journalists
celebrity culture mainly to blame for paparazzi style journalism?
tapping of telephone conversations and mobile texts the recent subject of a major report in
the UK
journalists in tapping scandals help to blackmail politicians and influence decisions
to what extent should journalistic intrusion be limited?
12 ‘I still value reading books but the e-reader is simply more convenient.’ What is your view?
•
•
•
reasons why the e-reader is obviously more convenient when travelling or when on holiday
how holding a small tablet type appliance may give a different ‘feel’ than paper and pages –
which is preferable?
a need here to compare and assess the benefits and drawbacks of a ‘traditional’ type book
vis-à-vis an e-reader.
13 How far would you agree that most people today are too smart to be manipulated by
advertising?
•
•
•
•
the ploys and secrets of advertising companies were first revealed some 50 years ago in
such works as ‘The Hidden Persuaders’ and followed up since by many similar books
consequently, many people are ‘wise’ to the approaches of the advertising companies and
thus are more difficult to influence
many consumers are now aware of being tempted to buy a ‘promise’ rather than a product
some advertisements are considered boring/silly/annoying/irritating and therefore are selfdefeating re: product sales.
14 To what extent are art galleries still important in the cultural life of your country?
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•
•
•
•
in what ways are art galleries supported/subsidised in the relevant country?
where do works of art rank in the overall cultural scene?
is the number of exhibits ‘static’ or are efforts made to enhance the collections? Are special
exhibitions arranged?
do the galleries attract many visitors from home and abroad?
examples of successes/failures would help make the case re: importance or not.
15 How far would you consider that royal and/or celebrity weddings merit the attention they
receive worldwide?
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•
•
•
•
•
what is the nature of the attraction of such weddings?
is it riches and glamour/pomp and ceremony/some fairy tale qualities?
give reasons for the popularity of such events involving the British Royal Family
what is so special about celebrities that is so fascinating for some?
is it a real ‘feel-good’ factor or a kind of escapism from a humdrum existence?
any well-founded response welcomed.
© Cambridge International Examinations 2013